The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) will introduce new standards for two major everyday products which are bread and beer. As reported, in the following two to three months, the regulations will be released.

According to FSSAI chief executive officer Arun Singhal, beer brands would be required to reveal the calorie content per bottle or can, while bread makers will be able to identify products as 'multigrain', 'whole wheat', or 'brown' bread only if they contain a certain amount of multigrain or whole wheat.

He also noted that “with disclosure of calorie count on bottles, consumers can opt for lower-calorie beer" — currently the alcoholic content of beer is indicated on the container by weight.

As reported by the Economic Times, Singhal stated that bread can be labelled whole wheat if it contains at least 75 per cent whole wheat, brown bread if it contains 50 per cent whole wheat, multigrain if it contains 20 per cent multigrain and garlic bread if it contains at least 2 per cent garlic.

In 2021, the regulator issued a rule mandating that all liquor bottles bear warnings such as "Drinking is injurious to health" and "Don't drink and drive" similar to those found on tobacco or cigarette packs. The Food Safety and Standards (Alcoholic Beverages Standards) Regulation, 2018 was notified by the food authority in 2018 regarding a separate regulation that applies to alcoholic beverages including brandy, country liquor, gin, rum, vodka and whisky, liqueur or alcoholic cordial, as well as wines and beer.

The FSSAI has signed memorandums of understanding or MoUs with a number of states in order to strengthen their food safety and security systems.

Other Initiatives

Separately, FSSAI has issued a directive regulating the statement of percentage contribution to the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for different age groups on the product label. It has been clarified that in the event of food for a specific age group or physiological condition, the RDAs for that age group or condition may be considered for labelling purposes.

Meanwhile, according to separate reports, the FSSAI has designated four police stations in the New Delhi area as 'Eat Right Campus' — under the “Eat Right India” mission, promoted by the regulator that aims at ensuring that the citizens of the country get safe and nutritious food.

This programme involved a preliminary assessment of the campus, finding deficiencies and filling them through capacity building, training and sensitisation, the development of standard operating procedures, and a final audit by third-party organisations. Following the completion of these activities, the FSSAI designated the campus as an Eat Right Campus and provided a certificate to that effect.

Food safety authority

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